Hidayatullah Badri, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan, held a meeting with Khoja Ovezov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, and Muhammetmyrat Amanov, the CEO of TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd.
During the negotiations, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the Islamic Emirate and the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum for their continued support and for creating the necessary conditions to advance the TAPI (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) gas pipeline project, according to a press release from the Afghan Ministry.
Muhammetmyrat Amanov, the CEO of the TAPI project, provided a detailed report on the current status of the works. Particular attention was paid to the transfer and installation of pipes on Afghan territory, as well as the practical implementation of the construction phases.
In response, Minister Hidayatullah Badri welcomed the guests and highly commended the efforts and effective performance of the TAPI Project leadership.
The Minister highlighted the strategic importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, as well as other related issues. He added that the successful implementation of the TAPI Project is not only crucial for the people of Afghanistan but is also vital for the three other participating countries.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance of creating employment opportunities for local communities, sharing work plans and schedules within the specified timeframes, and building the capacity of the Ministry’s engineers through training programs and cooperation with the project’s specialists.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister assured the Turkmen side of the project’s full compliance with the relevant regulations governing Afghanistan’s mining and petroleum sector.
For context, in late February 2026, the Turkmenistan oil and gas sector newspaper ‘Nebit-Gaz’ reported that construction work on the first phase of the TAPI pipeline continues actively on Afghan territory. The Turkmen section of the pipeline, spanning 214 km, has been fully completed.
On the Afghan side, the laying of the 153-kilometer Serhetabat–Herat section is ongoing: geodetic surveys have been finalized, and over 100 kilometers of the route have been handed over to contractors. According to current plans, construction works are expected to reach the center of Herat province by the end of 2026. /// nCa, 13 March 2026